Never Gone
by Neena14
Summary: YuBo Wave 3. Waiting is something many get accustom to. Because even with miles apart, there is always some divine entity akin to a bond between lovers and that becomes their way to sanctuary. But at times, even that is not enough to hold on. Yaoi. R&R!


_**Warnings:**_ Yaoi; BryTal; AU

_**Disclaimer:**_ I solemnly swear and officially declare that I do not own Bey Blade nor I'm making a public use of this fiction. I write solely for entertainment and enjoyment of the readers, though the story belongs to me and is not to be touched. Any new and unknown characters belong to me only. Lyrics, if any found, belong solely to their rightful owners except claimed otherwise.

_**A/N:**_ This fiction is basically based on the song, '_**Never Gone' by Backstreet Boys.**_ Tons of thanks to Tarnished-Iota for, yet again, providing me with such an inspirational song that the mere music caused my mind to build the whole plot of a story. This truly is a remarkable song!

Enjoy!

* * *

_**YuBo Wave 3  
**__**Entry#2**_

* * *

_**Never Gone**_

_**  
**_

* * *

'_I really miss you. There's something that I got to say…'_

The sky cried, lamenting a soft hymn as the tears fell, landing on the concrete world of pretend, the chime manifested in perpetual sound. The silhouette of a tall figure could easily be distinguished even in the lazily drizzle, the smoke from the gutter holes providing not much shroud of a curtain for veiling it.

"_Please understand…"_

How could he? How could he possibly ask him to understand now? He had simply stood there, silent, as he held the phone against his ear, very much aware that a pair of eyes across him was scrutinizing his every move yet not daring to interrupt.

"…_I…I can't make it next week…I'm sorry…"_

What was there to apologize? Why was he even being sorry? He had already delivered the painful blow so why hadn't he just hung up and left him to his own misery?

"_Bryan, please say something, anything!"_

He didn't. He just stood there quietly, hearing the other's desperate pleading for a response yet not doing so. What was there left to say?

"_Bryan, don't be like this. It's just a delay. Something came up. Just a few more weeks and-"_

He had ended the call, shutting his lover's frantic explanations for nothing Tala could have said, it would had never eased the forlorn melancholy residing in his heart.

Ray never asked him what was wrong for maybe his face did not reveal anything, his lack of response and the hidden despair in his eyes was enough to relay what had happen. Just minutes before, the neko-jin had asked him while scanning his grocery list,

"_How long has it been?"_

"_Seven months"_

The guy had whistled, looking up at him with astonishment and admiration, _"Seven?! Kai and I could barely hang on a few weeks without each other let alone a month. Gosh, Bryan…you must be pretty excited to have him return, right?"_

He had smirked, picking up some kitchen accessories before loading them in the partially filled cart. He had no intention or purpose of being present there but the raven head had met him outside the super mart and he had decided to tag along to help him with his monthly shopping. He was in a particularly good mood these days because two days from then, a flight from Sydney to Moscow would be boarded by his lover and they would finally see each other after much awaited procrastination.

But that mood, that frame of mind had shimmered away when Tala had called…

And after cutting off the redhead's useless justifications, he had deposited his share of shopping to the neko and left without another word.

That was all two days ago.

Now, lilac hues gazed upon the airport's one of the many entrances, looking but not actually seeing the giant automatic glass doors opening and closing, letting the new arrivals out and the departing figures in, either alone or accompanied with their loved ones. And once more he found himself at a location with no purpose of being there in the first place. He wouldn't be entering those doors because there was no one he had to see off or receive. So why was he still standing there, gazing at the building?

_Wishful thinking…He's not coming._

His heart sank, submerging his consciousness in deep troubled waters till there was hardly any thing he could feel. He didn't even have the energy to sigh or may be he just was too numbed to do so. Whatever it was, Bryan tore his eyes from the entrance as a couple huddled out and the man opened an umbrella before walking to one of parked cabs with his lover drawn protectively close. He looked away when the lady stopped to peck him on the lips before getting in and eventually they drove off.

He gave the airport building another painful glance from across the street before turning and walking away, head down, the drizzle matting his hair on his face.

'…_The things we did, the things we said  
__Keep coming back to me and make me smile again  
__You showed me how to face the truth  
__Everything that's good in me I owe to you…'_

He could still remember their call when their first month apart ended and perhaps the memories somehow eased the pain inside.

"_You sound as if I'm having the time of my life here!"_

"_Why not,"_ Bryan had challenged back with a smirk, _"Surely there must be something exciting down there to still keep you from boarding the plane back to my much welcome embrace, love."_

Tala had laughed, the cheerful sound resonating through the earpiece of the phone, _"I told you to lay down those classics. And you're such a jealous type, Bryan."_

"_I don't see at which point I should start to care but really,"_

His lover had laughed again, _"Believe me, I'm not that sexually frustrated to start sleeping around so soon!"_

"_If so, I would castrate whosoever that pretty face will be." _

Tala had smirked, "_You know you're the only guy in my life, Bryan."_

"_I wouldn't have it any other way."_

A chuckle came before Tala sighed, _"I miss you, you know."_

"_Really…? I wouldn't have guessed that in a millennium."_

"_Well, I always knew you were a bit dense."_

Bryan had smiled, cradling the phone lovingly against his ear, _"I miss you too, Red…"_

"_Yeah…I know…I guess I'll go now. PE starts in an hour."_

"_I don't think neither of us care about it that much to be concerned…"_

"_Duh, but I think I came here for some reason, you know. But then again, a little slacking shouldn't affect-"_

"_Don't even think about it," _Bryan had scolded, jestingly, _"I don't think I want you to fall behind because you're just too damn lazy and spend more time than necessary over there, got it?"_

Tala grinned,_ "Hear, hear Hitler! Well, take care, Bryan…"_

"_Sure…"_

"_Bye…"_

"_Bye…And Tala…?"_

"_Yeah…?"_

"…_Love you,"_

"_Always,"_

Bryan had kissed the mouth piece before finally hanging up and gently thumping the back of his head on the wall, a sigh quickly leaving his parted lips.

It was hard, for both of them. But Tala was kept busy in his tight schedule and courses while Bryan would have nothing better to do than just sit and wait till the time he would be given allowance to see his lover. And that was what pained him. The wait… Sure he had his job and all but he didn't have much to do and it would not be an understatement if said that he had nothing to do in particular even at work. His uncle remained the head macho of their company and thus, rendering him to sit back and watch the act being played by the others while he remained there as a spectator.

His family's software incorporation was linked to the HE, the Hiwatari Entrepreneurs, and that was where Tala was employed. They had been schooled and groomed under institutions whole of their lives so to become capable of handling future businesses of their lineages. And that's what they were beginning to do once crossing their teens. Only, their big cheese had decided upon tutoring them further up the ladder and hence came Tala's and his departure.

His lover now sailed a lonely boat miles far from him for of the additional courses and some practical tasks assigned by the company to test his capabilities before officially promoting him to the next grade.

'…_Though the distance that's between us  
__Now may seem to be too far  
__It will never separate us  
__Deep inside I know you are…'_

Bryan trudged down the road, the drizzle gradually picking pace accompanied, now and then, with the cracking of the thunder while lightening illuminated the army of dark clouds. He hadn't given it much of a thought but the weather had been akin to this for almost a week. Figures, he was just too much wound up for Tala's return to give a damn about any of his surroundings. Seven months…that was a long time…

_It's not fair._

When the order of Tala's leave for Australia had came forward, Bryan had immediately objected to it and remembered how Tala also protested. There was no way either of the both would agree to depart for two months. Yes, there were two short courses, one month each that were assigned and required to be taken and back then, even that time seemed enormous for them.

But it just stretched and stretched and stretched.

"_It's just two months, Bryan"_

"_I don't want you to go."_

"_I don't want to either but Lord Voltaire-"_

"_Screw that old bastard. You know he's just playing his sadistic games to-"_

"_I think we both grew together, Bryan, and I think I'm as much aware as you are that he's just doing to irk us. But you're just doing what he wants. Don't play into his hands, now"_

He had turned away to stare out of his office windows, glaring at the traffic passing peacefully by, everyone in a hurry to reach their assigned fate, eager to fulfill their predestination without waiting a second for reconsideration.

Tala had let out a tired sigh before crossing the threshold, joining him in his internal fight over want and logic. The redhead had stared at his clenched jaw and tensed face before gently crossing his arms over his waist and leaning to place his forehead on his shoulder blades, a gesture to explain that he was as much troubled by the sudden change in plans as Bryan was.

Bryan had placed his hands over the arms embracing him from behind and had muttered softly, _"It must be because of the company's failure last month…"_

"_For god's sake, Bryan, you're acting as if he's sending me to an army academy or shipping me to Madagascar or something. It's just some boring lectures for a couple of weeks."_

"_Don't act as if he isn't doing this purposefully."_

Tala had nuzzled into his back before whispering, _"You're being irrational, Bryan, and you're just being too stubborn to accept that."_

Bryan had turned around to face him at that, still in that one-sided but much welcomed embrace, _"I know,"_ He had smirked before tracing out the perfect contours of his boyfriend's face, _"But I still don't want you to go."_

Cherry tinted lips kissed his fingers, _"Possessive bastard…"_

He had snickered, _"Yet you are never willing to break up with me."_

"_What? Do you really think I would give up such a great body this easily?"_ Tala had spoken in that coy voice with the right seducing caresses that always managed to tore out some laughter from him. And that's what he did then.

"_Sex fiend,"_ He chuckled and nuzzled the face before engaging in a lip lock.

'…_Never gone, never far  
__In my heart is where you are  
__Always close, everyday  
__Every step along the way  
__Even though for now we've got to say goodbye  
__I know you will be forever in my life  
__Never gone…'_

They had stood there among the hustle bustle of the early flight hours of the airport, indifferent to the little piece of humanity present there. Their vicinity seemed devoid of the sounds made, a hush of a silence resonating in the space in between them, suffocating and heavy against their ears. Yet they did not move nor did they fidget. Pairs of eyes point out at their intimate contact yet either no body was concerned enough or they did not have the guts to approach the couple, the color of their hair eccentric enough to keep the hobos at bay.

The aura surrounding the two lovers weighed tons and seemingly, tell-tale signs of restiveness had appeared on the face of the redhead. He was still holding the taller one's hand, blue eyes fixed on the floor beneath as if waiting for something to break the silence yet not daring to do it himself.

Bryan had stood there, a blank omission residing in the purple hues as he stared at the red strands falling before the heart shaped face. He wanted, needed, to say something yet his heart seemed to have taken refuge in the deadness around them, hence rendering his mind useless.

Tala had swallowed, the wait for his boyfriend to bid his goodbyes gradually corroding him internally. But when nothing entered the boundaries of his hearing, he forced a pained smile, eyes still downcast, _"I guess I'll go now. My flight time is here."_

He had stolen a look at the taller of the two to seek a response but immediately glanced away. Giving the hand between his fingers a small meaningful squeeze; he withdrew and stepped backwards before turning away and quietly walking down hall, without another word exchanged.

The previous deadness had dissipated once the younger walked away yet he remained benumbed as ever. Bryan's heart had screamed at him then, begging to intervene. His mind had tried to persevere through the deadly waters, knowing that no more damage should be inflicted. But his tongue had refused to acknowledge, tied in knots and declining to speak up.

The knowledge that words were supposed to be spoken, sentences to be exchanged and gestures to accept had been there but Bryan did not acted.

Not until his eyes caught the slight shivers running down Tala's back, the lithe shoulders shaking with fine tremors. And he stepped forward, his hand stretched out to reach, _"Tala…"_

His boyfriend had stopped and turned and he felt his heart eat away once seeing the tears dancing in the blue of the Caribbean. Bryan stepped closer, gently taking the nimble hand and entwined his fingers with Tala's. Not breaking the eye contact for even a blink, he had brought their clasped hands up and brushed his lips against the smooth skin in a chaste kiss, _"Never gone…never far…"_

A lone tear had escaped the lush of the long lashes and cascaded down the high cheek bone, the light from above providing a divine sheen to its daintiness. Tala smiled. He smiled and mimicked the gesture, bringing his lover's hand to his lips and kissing it dearly, the warmth of the breath reflecting back on his face at the close proximity, _"In my heart…is where you are…"_

His arms had flung around and a shadow of a smile lingered on his lips as Tala had embraced him. The fine red strands tickled his skin and Bryan breathed into aroma, drawing his redhead close to him, knowing that those were the last of the inevitable seconds that would hold him together to persist through that departure. His eyes closed up and he whispered, the soft voice meant only for his lover to hear, _"Take care, wolf…"_

Tala had kissed him on the side, _"You too, falcon…"_

And their lips met, passion driving them blind yet they had known which path to take and what to do. The couple fed on that small gesture for both knew valedictions were soon to come, and even more demanding, would be the patience for the procrastination to end.

After a last peck on lips, Tala pulled to step back, a genuine smile gracing his face. Brushing his fingers against the front lilac bangs, he whispered, _"Bye, Bryan…"_

"_No,"_ Bryan caught the hand and kissed the tips, _"Only, see you soon, Tala…"_

Tala had smiled again, true happiness dancing in his eyes. He turned away and walked down the hall. But not before looking back once he reached the end.

Bryan watched him go and when his love looked back, he smirked softly, winking and blowing him a kiss and then chuckling at Tala's slight surprised expression. That changed, though, and the redhead caught the kiss with two fingers before bringing to his own lips and winking back. Then he turned left and vanished from the hallway.

'…_I walk alone these empty streets  
__There is not a second you're not here with me  
__The love you gave, the grace you've shown  
__Will always give me strength and be my cornerstone…'_

He didn't look up, his destination unplanned and indefinite, trudging down the vacant streets of Moscow, a shadow of a soul among the living and the dead. That was what Bryan was; just another wandering individual, walking the green planet, his own personal demons haunting him as he went through the rain, the airport left way behind.

"_Bryan…"_

Light hues looked up immediately before dimming further into void as the voice rang numerously in his ears. He gritted his teeth as it kept calling and turned around the corner in hopes of out running ghosts that have been a part of him ever since Tala left.

"…_Bryan, please…"_

He tilted his head upwards as thunder cracked, his heart beating dully.

_Stop it. _He willed his conscience. _He's not coming. Once more, he's not coming._ Now that he thought of it, he shouldn't have come to the airport tonight. It hardly helped that the last time he had seen Tala was that hateful place where tears are always shed when a closed one walks away.

Lowering his eyes back, he momentarily froze before numbness took reign of his body. His heart stopped and he almost took a step backwards before reality registered in his mind and his chest convulsed with a strange pain. He tried looking away but it did not go away. Choosing to face it once and for all, he met those eerie blue eyes, eyes narrowing tiredly,

"Leave me alone…"

The reflection stared back, a deep remorse sitting in those once lively sapphires.

Bryan stood there in the empty streets, not a car passing by; neither tires splashing the water of the puddles nor any pedestrian meandered by to pull him out of his stupor as he looked into that display glass of some antique shop. Only his attention was more caught by the lingering reflection of his lover than the old relics themselves.

Tala raised a hand to touch his shoulder before laying his head down on Bryan's soaked back, _"…I'm sorry…"_

The lilac head forced to tear his eyes away from the glass reflection and shook his head to clear the haziness polluting his mind before sighing.

This wasn't the first time this happened to him. His phantom lover had been haunting him from the very first few weeks. Only as the time passed, Bryan could conclude that he had been more bewitched by the seductive fakeness of the whole deception. There was not a night he would not encounter this creation of his own mind, this ghostly figure. And as the days had passed, Bryan had grown accustomed to the fraud that Tala was there with him.

_That's a lie._ He glanced at the empty glass again before turning away and resuming his stroll. _There's not a second he's not here with me…_

"…_Bryan…"_

He quickened his pace and turned again to reach the main street, his footsteps muffled by the water gathered. He was soaked entirely by now yet none such coherent thought crossed his mind.

His love for Tala might be immense only it was Tala's affection that made him the best he was now. And there was hardly any evidence available to negate or contradict that. The redhead had molded him into a better person that he was. He had swam dangerous waters in search of his drowning soul that had been lost long ago under the cruelty of the sick world and had succeeded in venturing in the falcon's mind where either no one dared to venture or simply did not care enough.

"_Hold on to me, Bryan. It's not that long you know."_

"_Are you consoling me or your self, Tala?"_

A sigh, _"…I don't know…you, I guess…"_

"_No distance is ever going to pull us apart, Red, you should know that."_

Bryan had heard him smile into the mouth piece of the phone, _"Even if we are worlds apart…?"_

"_Even if we are universes apart,"_

"_Are you consoling me or yourself, Bryan?"_

That time the person addressed had sighed, staring out of his apartment's window at the rain, touching the glass as if in hopes of reaching the tiny droplets that might somehow cleanse him; soothe him, _"…I don't know…I don't know either…"_

Silence had drawn a veil between the two lovers and Bryan had not approved that. It was already too much to handle that they were sitting so far apart, there was hardly any place left to create a veil in between them any more. So he continued,

"_You know what I miss…?"_

"_What…?"_

"_Your hands…"_

"_My…hands…?"_

"_Yeah…and your lips, your eyes, your mouth…and of course your ass"_

Tala had chuckled heartily, making Bryan smirk too, _"Well…I miss all of you Bryan."_

"_Of course love, or else I wouldn't be such a great sex appeal, would I?"_

"_Now who's the sex fiend?"_ Tala had laughed.

"_Well, f__orgive this foolish mortal's antics, my lord; I am but a man bewitched to admire heaven's beauty."_

"_God Bryan, didn't I tell you to keep low on those classics?"_

"_I haven't read any!" _Bryan had protested in defense, _"I guess…Fuck Tala, I really do miss you!"_

"_Well that's what happens when people are not together, sweetheart."_

"_Well, I don't like it."_

"_I know, Bryan…… I don't like it either…"_

'…_Somehow you found a way  
__To see the best I have in me  
__As long as time goes on  
__I swear to you that you will be…'_

For the past whole of their lives, there had been hardly any time they had spent apart else than what would be a part of their institution's curriculum. They had been there for each other from the start of the book till the page the story continued. But for the past few months, it pained him that that had not been the case.

"_Don't lie to me, Red."_

"_I'm not lying, Bryan. I'm fine,"_ Was the weak response.

Five months had fallen behind yet there remained no tell-tale signs of any hope that his boyfriend would be coming soon. Two weeks ago, he had been waiting anxiously for the redhead to return. But as fate had it, the plan was shot down by yet another delay. However, this time, it seemed to have more effect on the redhead than him.

"_Come on, wolf, you're stronger than this. It's not as bad as it seems,"_ He knew he was wasting his energies for internally, his heart was bleeding akin to how Tala's was.

"_Why are they doing this?"_ The voice had been frail and drained and Bryan had hated him self for not being there with his lover, _"I want to come back now…"_

"_Get a grip, Tala. It's not like we're not accustomed to all this"_

"_I'm not…"_ The whisper had been laced with such tiredness that it pained him to even hear it, _"There were supposed to be simple two months of seminars…and courses…and lectures…"_

"_Tala…"_

Bryan had felt so crippled at that time. It was the first ever instance that the redhead had broken down. He had been bearing the entire academy's pressure, his projects and assignments, the missing, the wait, everything silently. But the tenuous strings of hope holding him had broken one by one till the whole thing snapped and fell and now that it had fallen, the weight had simply reduced him to tears.

Yes, after years and years, Tala had cried that night, on which he already had a fever. He had sat their in his dormitory and sobbed softly into the phone piece, their one way device of contact, and then hung up, plain and simple. He hung up just as quietly as he had called Bryan, refusing to show how much their departure had affected him yet the whole consequences were portrayed easily by his broken voice and façade.

'…_Never gone, never far  
__In my heart is where you are  
__Always close, everyday  
__Every step along the way  
__Even though for now we've got to say goodbye  
__I know you will be forever in my life  
__Never gone…'_

Bryan startled when a shrill horn of a taxi slashed through the rain and reached his ears and was surprised even more to find the airport building standing tall and mighty half a mile away from him. He had been walking alone out in the rain for so long yet his footsteps had brought him back where it all started.

_I must be hopeless…_

He went to stand under the shade of the same tree, right where he had this night before leaving to search the streets for something similar to solitude and sanity. And from where he stood, he once more had the clear view of those front doors, the distant city lights blinking and winking at him.

_I miss you Tala…I really want you back now…_

"…_I…I can't make it next week…I'm sorry…"_

Bryan sighed and turned away, deciding idly to take the path back to his home which was a good couple of miles away from his current location. The rain pelted heavily down, the thunder boomed but he was unable to remove the Tala's voice from the back of his head now. There was nothing to apologize for; nothing to be sorry for…nothing…

"_Bryan, please say something, anything!"_

He hadn't. He couldn't. He had just cut down his voice by hanging up. What was there Bryan could have possibly said. He had been looking so forward for finally having his lover back. Everything had been arranged. The tickets were bought, the flight confirmed. Hell, Tala had even packed his things up. There came neither notice of any other commitment for the redhead nor any other fateful news of another seminar. All the previous times, Tala had been informed weeks before about any delay that had occurred thus having plenty of time for both him and Bryan to digest the news and their fate.

But this time, Bryan had been so hopeful, so joyous when four days before tonight everything had been in perfect order. The flight was verified again and again and made sure. Tala had even taken the pass of his dorm and was supposed to shift to a hotel room for the night before his trip.

But now; now that all felt like years ago for Tala had delivered the blow the day before yesterday and till now, Bryan had not been able to get his feet under him.

Tala had called and spoken in a rushed tone, as if the quicker he finished the news, the less painful it would sound. Bryan was sure that he had not known but he had been planning their fourth anniversary tomorrow. They had missed each other's birthdays as well as Valentines in these seven months. And now there went their anniversary…

"_Please understand…"_

What was there to understand? How Tala could have asked him to understand? He had been trying to understand for past months. He had tried understanding. And it wasn't something he found he was capable of. He wasn't adaptable as his lover. While Tala had that uncanny ability to melt in any situation granted, he wasn't. Bryan hated changes because most of the changes that had graced his life had always been for the worst. Like this one.

It had been two days since they both talked. Their last conversation, the one in the supermarket, had just worn him out of any hope that he had been clinging to from the start. He had just wanted Tala back. What was so big about it? He didn't even know why the delay or for what reason now the redhead had decided to stay there.

He hadn't talked to Tala. He didn't have the heart to. He had received his miscalls, his text messages, his mails. But Bryan did not open any of them or checked them out. He knew it was not fair with Tala but what could they possibly talk about. Tala had left numerous messages on his recording machine. Bryan had partially listened to the first one and then left the other unread. Tala had endeavored arduously to make contact with him but he had turned his cell and pager off.

_It's not fair…not with him…not with me…_

Bryan dug into his pocket, fingers feeling the smooth surface of his cell yet he did not pull it out. It was not because there was rain, simply because Bryan did not trust himself to do anything with it. In fact he feared what would happen if he contacted the redhead for as far as he knew, he would not be able to utter a single syllable to him, hence hurting Tala further for no reason but his own.

He sighed, turning back. The airport was pretty far from him now. There was hardly any rush of vehicles or travelers these days because of the unpredicted ness of the weather. But he did not care. Why should he? Tala was not coming tonight. It would only be him and his self created ghosts of his lover tomorrow in his apartment, not to celebrate their anniversary, but to haunt him, to simply mock him.

Soft hues behind the wet lilac bangs turned skywards, the pale face contrast to hungry shadows of the dark night. The rain droplets fell yet he never blinked even once, as if endearing to have the rain cleansed him and his stained soul. Yet they fell, trailing down till the edge of the cheek bones before falling to the puddles below, lost and vanished, not to be found again.

The lips parted ever so slightly and Bryan whispered a whisper of his heart to the wind, urging internally to have his pray heard, "I love you Tala…but I miss you even more…"

Lightning cackled at him but the chilling yet light breeze somehow was there to console him and Bryan looked down as it played with his hair in the shower, advising him to head home and rest for now. He let it blow against his ears before gradually complying and finally deciding to head for his apartment, his lone solitude and ironically, the place filled with poignant memories of his soul mate…

Bryan sighed and glanced upwards the empty road.

And he froze.

'…_Never gone from me  
__If there's one thing I believe  
__I will see you somewhere down the road again…'_

He could have blamed it on the thunder for not been able to hear the splashes. He could have blamed his conscience for conjuring up some fatuous fantasy a mourning heart had yearned for, in hopes of allaying the anguish he had been experiencing for so long. He could have even blamed the insomniac nights and lack of nutrition for previous two days. Yet he hardly could find it in him to blame his eyes for deceiving him.

The fiery strands whipped here and there as eyes dashed up and down the road, desperately in search of something. Yet it wasn't long before the blue pair blinked and turned to their left. And they froze as well.

Bryan saw it but he could not move. His mind registered it but it could not respond. Numbness grasped his consciousness again and he definitely found it hard to fight back. Not when those eyes widened too. Not when those pliant lips parted in a silent gasp. Not when Tala stared back at him in equal shock.

A last coherent wish went out from him before he felt even his heartbeats fading away. And he wished the deities, hoping that this would not just be another dream…another phantom…another sign of his deep yearning…

Tala turned to the much distinguishable silhouette in the rain. He stared at his boyfriend standing nothing but metres away from him and that was all he could take then.

He did not move as the younger rushed towards him, the long legs dashing through the water with a praiseworthy pace and no soon, Tala stood in front of him, breathing heavily for, no doubt, having run for quite long. The ivory cheeks were a bit flushed, the wet hair sticking to the heart shaped face being enough evidence that the redhead had been out searching in the rain for sometime now.

Bryan looked but did not see. He heard the heavy breathing but could not listen. His lover had lost quite some pounds and the face told tales of many sleepless nights like his. And those eyes…gods, they held a whirlpool of emotions, each portraying itself for less than a second before being dominated by the next one in pure anxiety .

Tala panted softly, staring at his falcon, his heart fluttering, his mind telling him to say something, to move, make the first move yet his body was simply paralyzed.

Bryan finally raised his hand, a cloud covering his eyes as he reached to stroke the porcelain skin in disbelief. _Please, let this be real…_

Tala watched his boyfriend's hand and his breathing stopped as it neared his face. The second the mere tips of the fingers brushed his cheek, something escaped the cerulean eyes, standing out in the numerous drops of rain of it cascaded down his face, leaving a distinguishable trail behind. It stood out because it was crimson. A crimson tear had made its way out from his eye yet instead of staining the sheer innocence of white skin, it simply portrayed shades of assortments of pristine sentiments that had been kept forcibly locked for the past so many months.

And Tala embraced Bryan. Snaking his hands around his love's waist, he buried his face on the shoulder, shivering against the unnaturally still body. His lips trembled, eyes clenched as he breathed loudly, seeking comfort from the one who had yet to move an inch, who had yet to turn his eyes from where they stared out like dead.

"Bryan…"

The lilac head snapped. A gasp left whole of his body and he turned downwards, gazing at the redhead, suddenly breathless. The lithe one still held him tightly, hands fisting his jacket and holding it like one holds a lifeline. And Bryan heard it; a small thud against his left ribs. And there was another one; and yet, another one. His heart thudded and he returned back to the reality.

He swallowed painfully before gently pushing the other away to stare at the face he had longed to look at, "T-Tala…?"

The rims of the eyes held a reddish tinge and Bryan grasped him, hugging him tightly though this time the embrace was not one-sided as Tala returned it with even force.

'…_Never gone, never far  
__In my heart (in my heart is where) is where you are (you are)  
__Always close, everyday  
__Every step along the way…'_

And the two stood there, in each other's arms, disbelief gone, only profound contentment and gratification residing in the aura surrounding theirs. Neither cared for the cold, neither cared for the wind. They were sated by just standing there, holding each other; Tala resting his head on Bryan's shoulder; Bryan resting his cheek against Tala's head, both gently rocking as if consoling themselves silently.

"God, Tala…" Bryan closed his eyes, waves of relief hitting him like the wild sea striking the coast line.

The redhead pulled back only to rest his forehead against Bryan's, a small sad smile playing his lips. He bent forward and slammed his mouth against his lover's in a ferocious kiss, feeding all the passion, all the need, all the love cooped up in it, the mere thought that he was back where he belonged feeding his ardor to use more vigor.

Bryan met those lips, the one that he had craved for, the same pliant one, his Tala's lips and deepened the kiss by tilting his chin to a side. He tasted them, licked them, refreshing the memories, the feeling, the smoothness. Using his height, he further intensified the kiss by bending forward, their lips jammed in a fervent, passionate lock. And he loved it.

They broke away, faces flushed, breaths irregular yet neither stepped back, comfortable still in the embrace.

Light hues searched the face, carving each contour in his mind, each angular curve before kissing the small nose, "You came back…?"

Tala closed his eyes as the breath tickled his skin before sighing, "Yeah…"

"How come…?"

The blue eyes opened and Tala smiled, "Did you really think I was capable of standing the wait anymore? I pulled out, rearranged my flight and hey, I'm here."

Bryan ran his knuckles over his face, his heart skipping when Tala leaned into his touch, nuzzling in his hand, "Tala…"

"Hmm…?"

The elder tilted his chin up again, forcing the redhead to open his eyes. He gazed into those orbs, a sense of completion inhaling him inwards. It had taken heart breaks. It had taken inhumane yearning. It had taken foolish arguments and it had taken long extensive delays. Yet, they both had persevered, they were still together and they will still be in days to come. It had been hard on both souls, the distances had been hard to over come, but now, the rain fell, enveloping them in a shroud of mist and fog, keeping them from nocturnal eyes and bathing them with once more purity.

"I missed you…And…I love you…"

Tala smiled and closed the gap between their lips, stopping only to whisper back, "I missed you too, Bryan. Love you, always and forever…"

'…_Never gone, never far  
__In my heart is where you are…'_

* * *

…I'm a sucker for happy endings. 

Sigh…It's done. It's over. Maybe now I should go and have some rest. Oh wait, my school starts in forty five minutes and it takes me at least thirty five to get there. Oh man…

Anyway, this is done so please R&R people because it took away the little sanity present in my life! At least now I'll be able to get straight and pull my life out of the loads of shit thrown upon me in previous two weeks! And I don't know if anyone noticed, but few (very few) sentences are akin to the lyrics of some songs.

R&R and hope you enjoyed.

Till next time  
Neena


End file.
